(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A recent drug trafficking case in Pickerington highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to curb the availability of illicit opioids in the state and the importance of advanced chemical testing to identify emerging drug trends, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.
“Drug traffickers disguise deadly drugs as prescription pills to smuggle them into our communities,” Yost said. “The bottom line is this: If you’re taking a pill that wasn’t prescribed by your doctor, you risk an overdose or death.”
Jorge Santillan, 41, of Indianapolis, was indicted on March 5 in Fairfield County Common Pleas Court on charges of aggravated drug trafficking, a first-degree felony, aggravated drug possession, a fifth-degree felony, and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. Additional charges are expected as the investigation by the Pickerington Police Department remains ongoing.
The investigation determined that Santillan possessed bags of pills marked as oxycodone and multiple bags containing a powdery substance. The evidence was submitted to the AG’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s laboratory for analysis.
The pills – 3,723 in total, all marked to mimic pharmaceutical pills – were determined to be carfentanil, a lethal synthetic opioid about 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Carfentanil, an analog of fentanyl, is not approved for use in humans but is used by veterinarians to anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses.
The powder that BCI tested contained more than 200 grams of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (PFF), another powerful fentanyl analog. PFF is commonly combined with other narcotics, including fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. 55 grams of powder contained fentanyl, PFF and xylazine.
“Kudos to Pickerington Police Chief Tod Cheney and his detectives for getting these pills off the street before they could wreak havoc,” Yost added. “Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Witt has already brought charges against this alleged trafficker, and we look forward to supporting his prosecution.”
Carfentanil peaked in Ohio in 2017, when the BCI lab identified its presence in 1,119 drug samples. Though there was a sharp decrease in recent years – carfentanil was confirmed in nine samples in 2023 and 40 in 2024 – BCI has noted a recent uptick in 2025. During the first four months of this year, carfentanil has been identified in 32 drug samples tested by BCI. The samples were submitted from local law enforcement agencies in 16 different counties, including multiple evidence items from Franklin, Fairfield, Delaware, Allen and Cuyahoga counties.
Meanwhile, chemistry testing by the BCI lab continues to monitor drug evidence for signs of new fentanyl analogs entering the state. Because these are new forms of fentanyl, each with a slightly different chemical structure, specialized testing is needed to detect them.
That was the case in February, when BCI’s lab identified a fentanyl compound that had not been previously reported by other drug laboratories across the country. The compound, so new that forensic scientists had to go through a process to name the substance, is called fentanyl methylene homolog. It is likely the product of clandestine labs attempting to produce a more powerful form of fentanyl.
To date, the BCI lab has evaluated roughly 65 different fentanyl compounds.
Hear from the AG:
"They're convincing fakes...You're taking a gamble, playing the lottery every single day that you score something on the street and put it in your body..."
"They looked like M30 oxycontin pills, but they weren't oxycontin at all..."
"...A lot of fentanyl can be put in a very small package. We will continue to have a fight on our hands for awhile."
"The power of these things is so different than the drug wars of the 70s and 80s. We're talking about compounds that can have profound impacts very quickly..."
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Steve Irwin: 614-728-5417
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